German Area Research Articles

Motives and Modes of Social Responsibility in the Mediated Business Environment in India: Perspectives from the Industry

The paper attempts to examine the typology of CSR strategies and practices adopted in India. It is an academic critique of the corporate citizenship to enable clear and credible frames and foments for the industry and the media in the neo liberal era. From the study, the practices suggest an acceptance of social responsibility beyond philanthropy where conceptualization, continuity and communication remain the germane areas.

The Prevalence of Hereditary Hemoglobin Disorders and Its Implications for Newborn Screening in Germany

Introduction: Hemoglobin disorders are among those hereditary diseases with evidence that an early diagnose and treatment improve the clinical outcome of affected children. So far hemoglobin disorders are not included in the German newborn screening program despite increased immigration from countries with populations at risk.Methods: To determine the birth prevalence in a major German area we tested 16910 anonymized newborns from Hamburg. High pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) and subsequent molecular-genetic testing were used for the detection and confirmation of sickle cell variant (HbS), of hemoglobin C (HbC) and of beta- and alpha-thalassemia variants.Results: We found sickle cell disease (SCD) to be the most prevalent with a frequency of disease-consistent genotypes of 1 in 3382 newborns. The prevalence for sickle cell trait (SCT) was 1 in 301 births. Statistical analysis indicates with 96% probability a prevalence for SCD of at least 1 in 8455 births and for SCT of at least 1 in 393 births. Duffy-blood group typing showed evidence that affected children were likely of Sub-Saharan ancestry. More than 90% of the newborns found with SCD or SCT were of sub-Saharian ancestry, suggesting that in Hamburg mainly children from members of the African community are at risk for the hemoglobinopathy SCD. Our data indicate a 95% probability that the prevalence of SCD in Hamburg is at least 1,18/10.000 births.Alpha Thalassemia trait had a prevalence of 1: 994, indicating with 97% probability a minimal prevalence of 1: 2114 births. In this study we did not find any child with beta-thalassemia major or HbH- disease, which indicates a birth prevalence of less than 1 in 16910 births during the study period.32 chromatograms indicated heterozygosity for other hemoglobin variants and 1 pattern indicated homozygosity for HbCC.Conclusion: Our study sustains the notion that newborn screening in areas that see significant immigration is necessary to provide early intervention with the framework of a public health initiative. As long as a nationwide screening in Germany is not yet implicated all high-risk infants (those of African, Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, Indian, Caribbean, and South and Central American ancestry) should receive a neonatal screening for SCD. Any high-risk infant not screened at birth, or for whom neonatal screening results cannot be documented, should be screened for hemoglobinopathies prior to 2 months of age. DisclosuresGrosse:Novartis Oncology Germany: Research Funding.

Culture and Corporate Governance: The Influence of Language and Religion in Switzerland

We investigate the effect of culture on corporate governance using the extraordinary opportunity that the corporate landscape of Switzerland provides. Within a single institutional framework (e.g., Swiss federal corporate law), we use language (German and French) and religion (Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) as proxies for culture. These groups share a distinct set of values particularly in their tolerance for hierarchical structures. We observe that firms in Swiss–French areas and firms in Roman Catholic cantons are more likely to have one-tier boards, whereas two-tier boards are more prevalent in Swiss–German areas and Protestant cantons. Furthermore, board composition is significantly driven by language. In contrast, ownership and equity structure are not significantly related to culture.

First evidence of lime burning in southern Scandinavia: lime kilns found at the royal residence on the west bank of Lake Tissø

In connection with investigations of the aristocratic residence at Tisso from the Viking Age, the earliest evidence so far of lime burning in Denmark has been excavated. The excavations unearthed traces of up to five lime kilns which were subsequently dated to the end of the ninth century. This corresponds well with the dating of the erection of the hall in the third construction phase at Fugledegard. Finds of mud-and-wattle with whitewashing show that the lime was used to whitewash the halls at Tisso in both the Germanic Iron Age and the Viking Age. Analyses of lime from the lime kilns and the whitewashed mud-and-wattle demonstrate that the raw material for the lime burning was mainly travertine deposited in spring water, but that bryozoan limestone was also used. The lime kilns were just under 2 m in diameter with stone-built edges, and there are indications that the superstructure may have been built up with clay. This resembles the corresponding parallel finds from the Iron Age in the German area.

Comparison of risk management regulation from a corporate governance perspective within the German and united states legal areas

Risk management is one of the main corporate governance components or management tasks. This paper details a comparison of risk management regulation from a corporate governance perspective of listed stock corporations in Germany and the United States (U.S.). Obviously, there are differences and commonalities between the national legal norms and the regulatory levels of risk management in both countries. The comparison helps to understand different traditions and practices in terms of how significant corporate governance rules are for risk management. Therefore, this article intends to inspire future research on the regulation of risk management across different regions and explore the relevance of national interests in the regulation of risk management. A principal finding of the comparison is that the U.S. corporate governance system seems to be more strongly regulated than the German system. This results from the powerful and coordinating role of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Thus, the seemingly more liberal system of non-binding standards in the U.S. has a higher impact on the regulation of risk management than in Germany.

Ehre, Schwerter und das Recht. Zweikämpfe im alten Island

AbstractIn medieval Europe, ritualized forms of duelling were not restricted to the continent’s central regions. The North Germanic areas had developed similar practices. The best source material for the phenomenon stems from Iceland. After a short introduction to the peculiarities of the early Icelandic political system, this article will briefly discuss the possibilities and problems of a scientific approach towards the history of Iceland’s first centuries. Then, after an outline of the dominant concepts of personal and family honour and fortune at this time, the paper’s main part will provide insight into specific Old Icelandic forms of duelling – especially the

Zum Vorkommen des Mykotoxins Ochratoxin A in Muttermilchproben aus Deutschland

Breast milk is the best form of nutrition early in life, yet it may contain contaminants which were ingested by mothers. Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a well-known nephrotoxin with carcinogenic properties and a frequent food contaminant. Ingested OTA is partly excreted with human milk and studies conducted in different countries have shown a wide range of OTA concentrations. The aim of this study was to assess the exposure of infants to OTA by analysing breast milk samples from 2 German areas. Breast milk samples were obtained from 90 mothers who had signed an informed consent sheet. The previously validated analytical method (LOD=10 ng/L, LOQ=30 ng/L) involves liquid-liquid extraction and analysis by HPLC with tandem mass spectrometric detection. A preliminary risk assessment was done using the TDI approach. More than 50% of the collected 90 milk samples contained detectable OTA levels. Overall, the average concentration in milk from -Dortmund (24.4 ± 21.1 ng/L (n=30), range:<10-100 ng/L) were significant higher than those measured in the Hannover cohort (14.4 ±1 5.1 ng/L (n=60), range: <10-78 ng/L). The OTA levels of 13 samples were measured with concentrations≥ LOQ. The burden of breast milk in different lactation stages, differentiated by colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk, did not differ in the 2 samples collectives Dortmund and Hannover. The infants' exposure was assessed by calculating their OTA intake via human milk. These results were then compared to the recently re-evaluated Tolerable Daily Intake (TDI) of 3 ng/kg body weight/day. In 29% of the cases (with 26 milk samples), the TDI of 3 ng/kg body weight/day was exceeded.In summary, infant exposure to OTA with human milk in Germany is usually low compared to several other countries. Given that in some cases the TDI is exceeded, further efforts to regulate OTA levels in food with the aim of reducing the contamination should be made to minimize the exposure of lactating women to OTA.

Aprendizagem intercultural na formação de professores de Alemão como Língua Estrangeira no Brasil

Uma reflexão básica sobre o objetivo da aprendizagem intercultural parece ainda não estar presente nas publicações brasileiras, principalmente na área de Alemão como Língua Estrangeira. Embora a aprendizagem intercultural seja tema de muitos trabalhos da área, o conteúdo e os objetivos parecem ainda ser fixados pelo material didático mais recente do catálogo das editoras alemãs, e isso se reflete na formação dos futuros professores. A solução seria uma integração consequente e sistemática, desde o início do curso, dos conteúdos específicos relativos ao Alemão como Língua Estrangeira no Curso universitário de alemão, através de uma real interdisciplinaridade entre as áreas de Letras e de Ciências Humanas.

Political and historical aspects of German area studies at the SFLC curriculum

Political and historical aspects of German area studies at the SFLC curriculum

Orthodontic treatment need in a representative adult cohort

There is currently no representative information for central Germany on the prevalence of dental malalignments and jaw discrepancies in permanent dentition. The aim of this study was to describe the extent of tooth and jaw malformations in a representative adult population according to conventional orthodontic indices. Three dimensionally (3D)-oriented study casts were measured from a representative sample of adults from the Halle and Leipzig urban areas consisting of 102men and 143women aged between 18 and 39years, yielding a total of 245volunteers. The index values we determined were the Index of Orthodontic Treatment Need (IOTN), the German Orthodontic Indication Groups (OIG) and the Occlusal Index (OI). The descriptive evaluation of the data and group comparisons (U test, chi(2) test) were performed with SPSS® 13.0. More than half of the adults we examined were assessed as needing treatment according to the IOTN (61.6%), the German OIG (59.6%) and the OI (58.4%; intermediate severity = 5.92). We observed no significant differences in age or gender. This is the first time that the prevalence of orthodontic findings has been documented for the central German area in a cohort representative of the population. Our results reveal a great need for therapy. As the classifications describe different patient groups, the individual need for treatment is inadequately documented.

En revolution i offentligheten: om lärda tidskrifter i Europa under tidigmodern tid och om hur svensk vetenskap representerades i dem

&lt;p&gt;The birth and rapid progress of scientific periodicals during the closing decades of the seventeenth century was a process that entailed new challenges for scholars and had many implications for the relations between the republic of letters and society as a whole. From this point forward, stronger demands were placed upon scholars to publicly account for their findings, as well as to improve their ability to communicate their research to a general audience. Inherent in this process was the gradual development of a new genre, the modern scientific article, together with spin-off forms like reviews, summaries, and abstracts. In Sweden, the quarterly &lt;em&gt;Acta literaria Sueci&amp;aelig;&lt;/em&gt; (Uppsala, 1720-1729) was pioneering in its ambition to give Swedish scholarship a more conspicuous place in the learned world than it had been bestowed in foreign journals. In this the Latin &lt;em&gt;Acta&lt;/em&gt; did experience some success, but a more comprehensive breakthrough for Swedish learning in the European media came during the next few decades, reflecting the country's prosperity in the natural sciences. Of vital importance for this breakthrough was, beginning in 1739, the quarterly &lt;em&gt;Handlingar&lt;/em&gt; (written in the vernacular) of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which was extensively translated and reviewed abroad. In the francophone sphere, however, its reception lagged in comparison to what was the case in the German area, and in the renowned &lt;em&gt;Journal des savants&lt;/em&gt;, the Swedish journal was practically disregarded for many years. Then, in the 1770s and 1780s, it unexpectedly became the subject of a rather intense series of reviews composed by French intermediaries who took pains to learn Swedish. The article concludes with several examples of their techniques for transmitting the contents of &lt;em&gt;Handlingar &lt;/em&gt;through the use of summaries, paraphrases, and translations.&lt;/p&gt;

COMMENT: NO MAJOR STRATIGRAPHIC GAP EXISTS NEAR THE MIDDLE-UPPER PENNSYLVANIAN (DESMOINESIAN-MISSOURIAN) BOUNDARY IN NORTH AMERICA: PALAIOS, v. 26, no. 3, p. 125-139, 2011

Here I provide critical notes on a multiauthored paper purported to show the absence of a major gap in the Upper Pennsylvanian stratigraphic succession in North America (and, by inference, in northern Western Europe). It is observed that intellectually satisfying explanations for the discontinuities in the North American successions, having recourse to climate-driven alterations, do not take into account that the more continuous succession in northwestern Spain only shows gradual changes in floral composition. Inaccuracies in the use of scientific literature are pointed out. Perhaps, there are few experiences so satisfying as to see complacency disturbed, and to bring a large continental area, like North America, in contact with a wider world. The closing of the ranks, as exemplified by Falcon-Lang et al. (2011), is a very human response to new information from outside brought to bear on a large continental area where the general assumption has been that size guaranteed completeness of record. Of course, not everyone subscribed to this notion. David White’s papers on the Carboniferous of eastern North America show an awareness of certain comparisons with North and Central European successions that imply changes in stratigraphic development attributed to climatic changes, the suddenness of which inspire doubts about the continuity of the stratigraphic record. Darrah (1969, p. 26) mentioned ‘‘a marked floral break’’ in mid-Conemaugh of the Appalachian succession, and Kosanke and Cecil (1996) also observed a floral break. It may be helpful from a historical perspective that the present writer, after a couple of decades involvement with the International Union of Geological Sciences (IUGS) Subcommission on Carboniferous Stratigraphy (as Secretary and Chairman) was engaged for a report (unpublished) analyzing the Carboniferous (Pennsylvanian) stratigraphy of the British, northern French, Belgian, Dutch and West German areas surrounding the southern North Sea. This involved a revision of borehole material in the Netherlands and the examination of borehole samples in West Germany, in close cooperation with H.W.J. van Amerom. A major conclusion was the recognition of a sizeable lowangle unconformity, with physical evidence including secondary reddening, between lower Rotliegend and various different levels of upper Westphalian strata. The size of the unconformity could only be grasped by the recognition that most of Stephanian time was missing. The date of the unpublished report was 1985. This knowledge was available (privately) when P.C. Lyons (U.S. Geological Survey, Reston) organized a joint fieldtrip in the Appalachians in 1995, primarily with the aim to establish the level at which the Westphalian-Stephanian boundary could be recognized in the Appalachian succession. This had been assumed to lie close to the Middle

Book Reviews

JOHN FLOWER, Accounting and Distributive Justice (New York, NY: Routledge, 2010, ISBN 978-0-415-87177-8, pp. 201)

Multi-Temporal Land-Cover Classification of Agricultural Areas in Two European Regions with High Resolution Spotlight TerraSAR-X Data

Functioning ecosystems offer multiple services for human well-being (e.g., food, freshwater, fiber). Agriculture provides several of these services but also can cause negative impacts. Thus, it is essential to derive up-to-date information about agricultural land use and its change. This paper describes the multi-temporal classification of agricultural land use based on high resolution spotlight TerraSAR-X images. A stack of l4 dual-polarized radar images taken during the vegetation season have been used for two different study areas (North of Germany and Southeast Poland). They represent extremely diverse regions with regard to their population density, agricultural management, as well as geological and geomorphological conditions. Thereby, the transferability of the classification method for different regions is tested. The Maximum Likelihood classification is based on a high amount of ground truth samples. Classification accuracies differ in both regions. Overall accuracy for all classes for the German area is 61.78% and 39.25% for the Polish region. Accuracies improved notably for both regions (about 90%) when single vegetation classes were merged into groups of classes. Such regular land use classifications, applicable for different European agricultural sites, can serve as basis for monitoring systems for agricultural land use and its related ecosystems.

Die Leser des ›Secretum‹ im 15. Jahrhundert Außerhalb Italiens. Beobachtungen anhand der Handschriften

In this article the catalogue entries of Petrarch's ›Secretum‹ manuscripts in England, France, the German area – including Bohemia – and Spain are examined in order to find clues about the work's audience. It becomes apparent that it is not possible to distinguish (as has occasionally been done) between a monastic and a humanistic audience of Petrarch's Latin oeuvre. The ›Secretum‹ was often read in the cloister and the author explores the causes of this interest. She argues that Petrarch begins this work by evoking conventions of monastic literature, only to subvert them in the following dialogue, and thus present a new model of spiritual life.

Severe sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia: a problem of uncritical prescription and deficiencies of diabetes care in geriatric patients

Objective: Severe sulfonylurea-induced hypoglycemia (SH) remains a life-threatening and under-reported condition. We investigated the incidence of SH and clinical characteristics of patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to demonstrate typical risk constellations.Methods: In a prospective population-based observational study, all consecutive cases of SH in the period 2000 – 2009 in a German area with 200,000 inhabitants were registered. Severe hypoglycemia was defined as a symptomatic event requiring treatment with intravenous glucose and was confirmed by a blood glucose measurement of < 50 mg/dl.Results: A mean incidence of seven episodes of SH per year and 100,000 inhabitants was registered. The 139 hypoglycemic individuals had been treated with glimepiride (n = 98), glibenclamide (n = 40) or gliquidone (n = 1). No preparation showed a constant dose–effect relationship, SH occurring within a wide dose range. The patients were characterized as follows: age 77.5 ± 9.4 years, duration of diabetes 11 ± 7 years, body mass index 26.3 ± 4.9 kg/m2, HbA1c 6.6 ± 1.3%, creatinine clearance 46 ± 24 ml/min with renal insufficiency in 73% and co-medication 7 ± 3 drugs. Two-thirds of all subjects lived independently at home whereas a third were cared for by a home nursing service or received care in nursing homes. In all, 30% had participated in diabetes education programs. In 31%, systematic blood glucose monitoring was performed.Conclusions: Uncritical prescription of sulfonylureas neglecting crucial contraindications – particularly renal insufficiency – and deficiencies of diabetes care contributed substantially to the risk of SH in the mainly geriatric patients. There is a need for alternative therapeutic concepts that minimize the risk of hypoglycemia in geriatric patients with T2DM.

Severity of unhealthy alcohol consumption in medical inpatients and the general population: is the general hospital a suitable place for brief interventions?

Evidence for brief interventions in general hospital (GH) settings is scarce, probably due to higher rates of dependent drinkers. The present study aims to compare unhealthy drinking patterns in GH patients with the general population (GP). Sample 1 consisted of 4,075 individuals randomly drawn from registration office files, representing the non-institutionalised GP of a northern mixed rural-urban German area. Sample 2 consisted of 2,949 consecutively admitted patients from a GH covering the same area. Compared to individuals from the GP, GH patients revealed higher prevalence rates of alcohol dependence (1.3 vs. 5.5%) and alcohol abuse (1.2 vs. 2.8%), but did not differ significantly concerning at-risk drinking (5.1 vs. 6.2%). Multinomial logistic regression analysis controlling for age, sex and smoking using unrisky alcohol consumption as reference category belonging to the GH group was predictive for alcohol use disorders but not for at-risk drinking. Data show that a substantial number of individuals with unhealthy drinking patterns without alcohol use disorders can easily be accessed in GH settings if appropriate screening measures are conducted.

From the goldsmith’s point of view

During the first millennium AD, gilding was of great importance for the decoration of ornaments in the Germanic area. With respect to archaeological finds, the different techniques used to produce them are hard to distinguish without scientific investigations. Nevertheless, it is possible to put forth some hypotheses regarding these methods on the basis of the analyses carried out so far, and the observation of typical attributes, like workmanship and choice of material. The gilding techniques used for some fibulae and brooches are analysed exemplarily, and discussed together with the advantages and disadvantages related to their specific attributes, and changes in their technique and design during the first millennium AD. In addition, the supply of raw materials and the correlations between gold imports into the Germanic area and the amount of gilded material are discussed.

Rosetfiblens »anatomi«

Rosetfiblens »anatomi«

Tara Nummedal . Alchemy and Authority in the Holy Roman Empire . Chicago : University of Chicago Press . 2007 . Pp. xvii, 260. $37.50.

Alchemy has become an important area of investigation for historians of medieval and early modern science, who have recognized its centrality to topics as diverse as matter theory, the development of laboratories, and attitudes toward art and nature. The alchemical thought of well-known figures such as Robert Boyle and Isaac Newton has been researched extensively. This fine study builds on that work, but also takes it in a new direction. Tara Nummedal investigates mostly obscure figures who called themselves alchemists in the Holy Roman Empire. She asks how they defined themselves, what exactly their practices were, how they negotiated with their patrons, what their patrons believed they were getting from them, how they succeeded, and how they failed. The result is a carefully researched social history of alchemists and their patrons that illuminates the cultural meanings and practices of alchemy in latesixteenth and early seventeenth-century Europe. These “entrepreneurial alchemists” practiced not only for their own edification, but also for social and economic benefits. A significant presence in early modern courts and cities, they heretofore have been little studied. Nummedal argues that these practitioners, most of whom were not Latin-educated scholars, transformed traditional alchemy, creating practical technologies that addressed the economic needs of early modern states, especially relevant in German areas where the related activities of mining and assaying occupied a central place in state economies.